


Homecoming

by Rina_san28



Series: Pride Month 2018 [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Disabled Character, Domestic Fluff, Dwarves in the Shire, Established Relationship, M/M, pride 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 11:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rina_san28/pseuds/Rina_san28
Summary: The battle is over and the Lonely Mountain is once again thriving. It's time for Bilbo to bring his husband home.Written for Pride 2018 Day 1: First Kiss (Yes, I know it's late. Sue me.)





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically a prequel to another one of my fics, Back Again, but it can be read just fine on its own. 
> 
> I meant for this to come out on June 1st, but I was having Issues. One of those Issues was that I hadn't actually written it yet. (Oops.) I'll post extra for the next few days to catch up!

Bilbo took a deep breath as he reached the Brandywine Bridge. It had been nearly two years since he’d run off with a band of dwarves, confusing the daylights out of all his neighbors. In that time, he had seen more of just about everything than he’d ever believed possible for a hobbit. Gandalf was right, he mused. He was not the same.

 

Maybe, he thought as he glanced at his travelling companion, “not the same” was a good thing to be.

 

Thorin Oakenshield, former King Under the Mountain, was staring apprehensively at the rolling hills and winding paths of the Shire. He leaned heavily on his walking stick, and Bilbo could tell his leg pained him. They had been forced to leave their ponies back in Bree, and while it wasn’t too long of a walk, it was still a major undertaking for the still-healing dwarf.

 

“A penny for your thoughts?” Bilbo said, drawing his attention away from the landscape. “Maybe two, as you seem to have many.”

 

Thorin rumbled out a laugh, beautiful in its rarity. “Last I came here, I was a crownless king seeking a burglar. Now I return, crownless again by choice, with that selfsame burglar for a husband.” He smiled. “How the world changes.”

 

“And if I remember correctly – which I do! –” Bilbo said, “You got lost.”

 

“I may have.”

 

“Twice”

 

“…I may have.”

 

“Afraid you’ll lose your way again?”

 

Thorin reached out and took Bilbo’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “No,” he said simply. “This time, I have a guide.”

 

Bilbo clucked his tongue, fighting down a blush. “Well then! Let’s be on our way before your guide gets too hungry to continue!”

 

The journey took most of the afternoon, and Bilbo took an odd delight at the gasps and murmurs of his neighbors as the pair strolled through town. While Gandalf had come shortly after the battle to gather some of Bilbo’s possessions and ensure the security of Bag End, he suspected the visit had mostly filled the rumor mills to overflowing. _Well_ , he thought smugly. _Who could have expected this?_

 

“Bilbo?”

 

Bilbo jumped as Thorin’s voice broke him out of his musings. “Oh! Yes, dear?”

 

“We appear to have acquired some tails.” From the smile sparkling in his eyes, it was obvious Thorin didn’t find their tagalongs to be much of a threat.

 

“Oh, have we now?” Bilbo said casually. If he turned his head just slightly…yes, there was the giggling. He bit back a smile of his own. “Thorin, do you know what good little tails get?”

 

“I imagine much more exciting things than they would by sneaking about,” Thorin played along. “I’m rather curious myself, Master Baggins.”

 

“You see, I might have some presents in my pack for good little tails!” Bilbo exclaimed. “Of course, they would have to help us carry our things, or else we’ll be far too exhausted to even think about handing things out.”

 

Thorin strangled a laugh at the small chorus of gasps from behind the fence. “That would be a tragedy.”

 

“Indeed.” Bilbo let out a theatrical yawn. “If only there were some of those good little-”

 

“Master Baggins!” The pair turned around to see four little fauntlings scramble out from their hiding spot.

 

“My goodness, what do we have here? That couldn’t be Miss Eglantine and Miss Esmeralda! And certainly not Masters Paladin and Saradoc! These faunts are far too big!” Bilbo knelt down and allowed himself to be buried in hugs. “How are these the little hobbits I left behind?”

 

“I hadda birthday, Master Baggins!” Esmeralda chirped. “An’ so did Pal an’ Egg an’ Doc!”

 

Saradoc nodded. “I had _two_ birthdays,” he said seriously, holding up three tiny fingers.

 

“I had two birthdays, too, Saradoc,” Bilbo said. “I’m sorry I missed all of yours, but I had a lot of work to do!”

 

“That’s what Papa said!” Paladin chimed in. “But you’re back now!”

 

“Yes, my lad, I’m back now.” Bilbo made a show of groaning as he stood. “This pack is heavy, and poor Master Oakenshield’s is even more so! Would you strong little hobbits be able to help us?” At the round of enthusiastic nods, Bilbo walked behind Thorin and pulled some of the lighter, non-lethal items from his pack, distributing them amongst their tiny helpers. “Thank you all very much! To Bag End we go!”

 

As expected, the chattering of the fauntlings did wonders to ease the tightness that had wormed its way back into Thorin’s shoulders over the course of their journey. Paladin and Eglantine acted much like Bilbo expected a young Fíli and Kíli to have, especially as they tripped over each other’s sentences as they tried to tell the adults all about their latest failed raid on Farmer Maggot’s fields.

 

Bilbo couldn’t resist the sigh of relief when Bag End finally came into view. Thorin leaned over, once more sliding a hand into his. “Are you well, _ghivashelê?_ ”

 

“Yes, just…” He sighed. “It has been a very long road, there and back again, and I look forward to having peace for once.”

 

“Aye,” Thorin said. “Peace sounds wonderful.”

 

“Master Baggins!” came a shout from the garden. Bilbo looked up again to see Hamfast Gamgee waving merrily at them. “Master Baggins, it’s mighty good to see you, sir! Me n’ Mister Greenhand were just airin’ things out!”

 

“Thank you very much, Hamfast! And Holman, hello! Wonderful to see you both!” he greeted as the other hobbit came in to view. “I suppose Gandalf gave you the tip?”

 

“That he did, sir,” Holman said, handing over the keys. “Mighty nice of him to give a warning…unlike some folk I know.” He gave Bilbo an unimpressed glare, but it broke into a smile after a moment. “Didn’t know you’d be havin’ a guest, though! I’m afraid we didn’t fix up any extra rooms-”

 

“Don’t worry yourself about it, friend,” Bilbo said reassuringly. “Master Oakenshield is a permanent resident of Bag End now!”

 

“Really?” Esmeralda said, nearly falling over in excitement.

 

Thorin steadied the little girl with no small amount of amusement. “Indeed I am, Miss Took. Master Baggins is very gracious.”

 

“Poppycock!” Bilbo scoffed at him. “Thorin, stop it. Let me introduce you properly. This is my gardener and friend, Holman Greenhand, and his apprentice, Hamfast Gamgee. Gentlemen, this is Thorin Oakenshield of Erebor.” He smiled fondly and tugged at the short braid in his hair. “My husband.”

 

\-----

 

“Well,” Thorin remarked as the last of the little ones scampered out the front door, “that was eventful.”

 

“I’m a bit old to be a newlywed, Thorin,” Bilbo said wryly. “I’m nearing fifty-three! Quite unusual.”

 

The dwarf snorted. “Everything about you is unusual, _ghivashelê._ I’d thought you would be used to it by now.”

 

“I am perfectly respectable, Master Oakenshield, and I’ll have you remember that!”

 

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Master Burglar.”

 

Bilbo paused and looked around. Everything was exactly where he’d left it, from the book on the side table, to the stacks of doilies, to the pen laying abandoned on the desk after being used to sign the contract that started it all. It was like a time capsule of the moment which had changed his life forever.

 

A warm hand settled on his waist, tugging him lightly into an equally warm embrace. “A penny for your thoughts, my dear Bilbo?”

 

He reached up and tugged Thorin into a kiss; their first kiss in this new and unexpected journey. “Welcome home, love. Welcome home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr as rina-san28! Come say hi!


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